Roast vegetable and Winter herb gravy
Gravy is the lynch pin of Christmas Dinner and this is a gravy to be proud of. The sweetness from the roasted veg is backed up by the freshness from the cider. It can be easily made a day ahead and any leftovers freeze well.
- Duration
- 60 mins
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- Makes a good jugful (about 400ml)
Ingredients
- 2 leeks, roughly chopped
- 2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped
- 4 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 whole cloves of garlic, skins left on
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 500ml dry cider
- 200ml vegetable stock
Before you start
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7.
To roast the vegetables
Lay the veg in a large roasting tray and scatter over the herbs. Season, then drizzle over a little olive oil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, until the veg are sweet, soft and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.
To make the gravy
Using a potato masher, mash the veg in the roasting tray, then place the tray on the hob on a medium heat. Add the flour and stir well for a couple of minutes, until it has cooked through.
Pour in the cider and stock, bring to a simmer, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to get all the sticky bits from the bottom of the tray.
To serve
After 10 minutes, remove from the heat and sieve the gravy into a jug, pressing down on all the vegetables and herbs with a spoon to get all the flavour out. Keep in the fridge until needed. Reheat with a little extra hot water or veg stock.
Additional information
Storage
- Store
- In airtight container for up to 3 days in fridge.
- Freeze
- Up to 2 months.
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